Affiliate marketing continues to offer brands and publishers countless opportunities to reach new customers and increase sales, providing a gateway for creating and nurturing long-term business partnerships. For publishers, having the backing of a strong network will make it easier to partner with top brands, create relevant content, and earn money, with a dedicated network to help you along the way.
Here are a few must-haves that your affiliate network should offer their publishers:
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Data and insights
An affiliate marketing network can provide increased transparency into partnerships. Advertisers look to their affiliate network for data and performance insights to help deepen their most successful partnerships. A network can provide analysis and recommendations on top performing publishers at different stages of the customer experience. Having this insight can assist publishers and advertisers to speak directly about what a mutually beneficial partnership would entail and help facilitate open conversations around commission rates or sponsorship fees. This added insight and transparency are only obtained through the support of an affiliate network.
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Paid Placements
Paid placements are excellent opportunities for publishers to earn more than a standard commission rate from their partners. A good affiliate network will not only help introduce paid placements opportunities to top brands, but will also help to negotiate the terms of a partnership that are mutually beneficial to both parties. Networks are also critical in providing ongoing support to ensure a successful campaign. The affiliate network has the insight to help the publisher create a campaign that highlights what is most important to the advertiser while ensuring the integrity of the publisher, acting as an advocate for both parties. A network is a critical component of a successful placement, leading to increased conversions and sales for publisher partners.
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Personalization
Personalizing the customer experience has become increasingly important for digital marketers, in fact, according to eMarketer, 57% of retailers worldwide planned to increase their spending on personalization in 2017. Affiliate networks can provide publishers with technology to completely customize their content. Product discovery tools can enable publishers to easily find and build beautiful product galleries that align with their brand and best suit their audience. Additionally, in a recent global survey 80% of U.S. consumers say advertising is valuable when it aligns with their needs or interests. A great affiliate network can provide publishers with data to help them message and target specific consumers based on purchase history within the network. This makes it easy for publishers to personalize and present the most appropriate offer to a new or returning customer.
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Publisher Support
Affiliate networks offer a plethora of tools, technology, tracking and reporting to help any publisher find affiliate success, but an important benefit often overlooked is the amount of support given. Most networks provide a publisher support team that is there to answer any questions a publisher might have throughout the development of their program. An exceptional network will not only offer 24-hour support, but will also offer monthly webinars, trainings, educational newsletters and an extensive help center that is updated regularly with frequently asked questions and topical articles. More importantly, a network should provide publishers with multiple opportunities to meet with advertiser partners face-to-face. Relationships can be reinforced through 1:1 meet and greets, speed-networking lunches, and vertical-specific networking and educational events. These in-person meetings will help to solidify a strong, long-term partnership.
Affiliate networks offer a wide range of opportunities and support to help even the newest publishers succeed. Visit our website, to learn more about what Rakuten Affiliate Network can do for you.
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Rakuten Marketing industry leading solutions empower marketers to thrive in their evolved role and achieve the full potential of digital marketing, efficiently and effectively, with data-informed insights that create consistent, engaging and influential experiences across screens. Offering an integrated solution, along with unique insights and consultative partnerships, Rakuten Marketing delivers the tools that marketers need to increase efficiency, productivity and performance.
